Systems and Methods for Dynamic Updating of Skylanes for Aircraft Routing and Travel

Abstract

Systems and methods of providing improved solutions for aviation transport networks, particularly for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, are provided. For example, a method for generating a network of skylanes for eVTOL aircraft travel in a particular geographic area includes accessing airspace data (e.g., aircraft track data and/or restricted zone data) defining an available portion of the particular geographic area for the eVTOL aircraft travel. The airspace data is used to compute skylane route data for a particular skylane defined by a plurality of waypoints in three-dimensional space between a first vertiport location and a second vertiport location for the eVTOL aircraft in the particular geographic area. The skylane route data can be added to a network of available skylanes and selected for deployment of a particular eVTOL aircraft.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for dynamically updating a network of available skylanes for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft travel, the method comprising:
 accessing skylane network data indicative of a plurality of skylanes for eVTOL aircraft travel among a plurality of vertiports, the skylane network data comprising an operating constraint associated with respective skylanes of the plurality of skylanes;   accessing parameter data indicative of current or expected operating parameters associated with a particular geographic area at a particular travel time;   computing a route assessment of the plurality of skylanes, wherein the route assessment is configured to evaluate the operating constraint associated with the respective skylanes relative to the parameter data for the particular geographic area at the particular travel time;   activating a subset of skylanes of the plurality of skylanes as available skylanes for the eVTOL aircraft travel based at least in part on the route assessment; and   deploying a particular eVTOL aircraft to travel on a selected skylane of the subset of skylanes.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein activating a subset of skylanes of the plurality of skylanes as available skylanes for the eVTOL aircraft travel comprises closing a particular skylane of the plurality of skylanes that violates the operating constraint relative to the parameter data. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein activating a subset of skylanes of the plurality of skylanes as available skylanes for the eVTOL aircraft travel comprises opening a particular skylane of the plurality of skylanes that satisfies the operating constraint relative to the parameter data. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the skylane network data comprises a directed graph representation of nodes and edges, the plurality of vertiports corresponding to the nodes of the directed graph representation, and the plurality of skylanes corresponding to the edges of the directed graph representation; and   activating a subset of skylanes of the plurality of skylanes as available skylanes for the eVTOL aircraft travel based at least in part on the route assessment comprises activating a subset of the nodes and edges within the directed graph representation as available skylanes for the eVTOL aircraft travel.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein activating a subset of skylanes of the plurality of skylanes as available skylanes for the eVTOL aircraft travel comprises:
 computing a segment of the subset of skylanes that satisfies the operating constraint relative to the parameter data; and   activating the segment of the subset of skylanes as available for the eVTOL aircraft travel.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein activating a subset of skylanes of the plurality of skylanes as available skylanes for the eVTOL aircraft travel comprises:
 computing an altitude profile of the subset of skylanes that satisfies the operating constraint relative to the parameter data; and   activating the altitude profile of the subset of skylanes as available for the eVTOL aircraft travel.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the parameter data comprises location parameter data defining takeoff and landing paths for other aircraft operating in the particular geographic area. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the parameter data comprises noise level data defining a visual noise level or an audible noise level determined for the particular geographic area. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the parameter data comprises weather data defining of at least one of a temperature, a pressure, a wind condition, or a visibility condition determined for the particular geographic area. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the parameter data comprises location data from a user device application associated with a pilot or a passenger currently traveling on a particular skylane of the plurality of skylanes. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the parameter data comprises runway use data indicative of current runways in use at an aircraft facility within the particular geographic area. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operating constraint associated with respective skylanes of the plurality of skylanes comprises a type of eVTOL aircraft designated for travel on the respective skylanes of the plurality of skylanes. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operating constraint associated with respective skylanes of the plurality of skylanes comprises a speed for eVTOL aircraft designated for travel on the respective skylanes of the plurality of skylanes. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operating constraint associated with respective skylanes of the plurality of skylanes comprises a noise limit defining a threshold visual noise level or a threshold audible noise level established for the particular geographic area. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operating constraint associated with respective skylanes of the plurality of skylanes comprises a weather condition limit defining an acceptable level of a temperature, a pressure, a wind condition, or a visibility condition established for the particular geographic area. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the computing of the route assessment and the activating of the subset of skylanes are implemented in a first iteration based on predicted parameter data for the particular geographic area at the particular travel time; and   the computing of the route assessment and the activating of the subset of the skylanes are implemented in a second iteration based on real-time parameter data for the particular geographic area at the particular travel time.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein deploying a particular eVTOL aircraft to travel on a selected skylane of the subset of skylanes comprises:
 accessing trip request data defining a trip request for passenger travel between an origin location and a destination location; and   selecting the particular skylane from the subset of skylanes activated as available skylanes for servicing at least a portion of the trip request.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the skylane network data indicative of a plurality of skylanes for eVTOL aircraft travel among a plurality of vertiports comprises a directed graph representation of nodes and edges. 
     
     
         19 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 accessing skylane network data indicative of a plurality of skylanes for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft travel among a plurality of vertiports, the skylane network data comprising an operating constraint associated with respective skylanes of the plurality of skylanes;   accessing parameter data indicative of current or expected operating parameters associated with a particular geographic area at a particular travel time;   computing a route assessment of the plurality of skylanes, wherein the route assessment is configured to evaluate the operating constraint associated with the respective skylanes relative to the parameter data for the particular geographic area at the particular travel time;   activating a subset of skylanes of the plurality of skylanes as available skylanes for the eVTOL aircraft travel based at least in part on the route assessment; and   deploying a particular eVTOL aircraft to travel on a selected skylane of the subset of skylanes.   
     
     
         20 . A computing system, comprising:
 one or more processors; and   one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising:   accessing skylane network data indicative of a plurality of skylanes for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft travel among a plurality of vertiports, the skylane network data comprising an operating constraint associated with respective skylanes of the plurality of skylanes;   accessing parameter data indicative of current or expected operating parameters associated with a particular geographic area at a particular travel time;   computing a route assessment of the plurality of skylanes, wherein the route assessment is configured to evaluate the operating constraint associated with the respective skylanes relative to the parameter data for the particular geographic area at the particular travel time;   activating a subset of skylanes of the plurality of skylanes as available skylanes for the eVTOL aircraft travel based at least in part on the route assessment; and   deploying a particular eVTOL aircraft to travel on a selected skylane of the subset of skylanes.